Sunday, June 30, 2013

I am not a girly girl. Didn't know that, did you? *lol* But that doesn't mean I can't adore a nice saturated bright pink. I do! I've got two of 'em today to show you. Actually, this is a two part manicure post, where I show you the base color by itself and then layer over it for the final look.The base color for this manicure is by Zoya and it's called Lo. Lo, according to Zoya, is a "bright, warm, medium pink creme with strong coral undertones." I call it a Gerbera daisy pink.

Lo is a well-saturated creamy dreamy medium pink. It has coral hints in certain lights, like direct sunlight, but mostly it is a wowzer pink. I just love this color on finger nails, so feminine and so strong, with a poolside elegance that just makes me sigh with happiness. On top of this I am going to layer a polish by indie polish maker Girly Bits called Jelly Shoes. Jelly Shoes was inspired by the pink jelly sandals you see all kinds of feet wearing this time of year. They actually first came into vogue in the 1980s, way before you were even a gleam in your father's eye. Being brightly colored, inexpensive, easy to manufacture and easy to wear, they've stuck around. Now you see them everywhere. Like it's namesake, Jelly Shoes is a translucent jelly polish... with a twist. It is packed to the gills with a wicked purple/pink color-shifting shimmer! The cool colors of the shimmer refract through the relatively warm color of the jelly base, and the result is a glowing fluorescent neon-esque look. Pam, the creative force behind Girly Bits, says it's "totally tubular." Word!I began as is my wont lately with Seche Vite Rebuild treatment basecoat (which my nails seem to be loving, btw). Over that I applied two coats of Zoya Lo. The consistency of Lo seemed more liquid than is usual for Zoya in my experience. I overworked the polish on a few nails and got some bubbling. I also managed to flood a couple of cuticles but they cleaned up easily and didn't stain. Lo dries to a glossy finish. The photos show two coats of Lo over basecoat and no topcoat.Are you ready for some hot pink? Sure, I knew you were...

Zoya Lo and Girly Bits Jelly Shoes

Zoya Lo lookin' glossy

Zoya Lo

Zoya Lo

at the window...

Zoya Lo

in profile you can really see how those dents I made with the metal implements are growing out...

actually you can still see them even when not in profile ugh...

Zoya Lo

extreme close up whoa -- check out the bubbling!

Zoya Lo

That color is SO awesome! And now you're going to see awesome to the nth when Jelly Shoes goes on over top! Jelly Shoes applied like a dream, just perfectly controlled going right where I wanted it to go. I got two coats on and was about to Seche Vite the deal when I gouged the polish on the middle finger nail of my left hand. CURSES! So I topped all the rest of my fingers with Seche Vite and started over from the beginning, with basecoat, on that one finger. This kind of thing is not uncommon here. *rolls eyes* I no longer panic when this happens. I sigh and reach for the polish remover. Got that taken care of and finally, the look of the day...

near macro on the nail in the shade, glow baby glow! (no, that's NOT a booger on my free edge... it's a... erm... it's a PARTICULATE... yeah, that's right, a particulate...)

Girly Bits Jelly Shoes over Zoya Lo

LOVE!

Girly Bits Jelly Shoes over Zoya Lo

Girly Bits Jelly Shoes over Zoya Lo

Girly Bits Jelly Shoes over Zoya Lo

Girly Bits Jelly Shoes over Zoya Lo

Girly Bits Jelly Shoes over Zoya Lo

Girly Bits Jelly Shoes over Zoya Lo

OMG! This turned out better than I ever dreamed it would, Lo is such the perfect base for Jelly Shoes. This combo just glows. Even in the faintest of light, it glows. The shimmer is so abundant and reflective, I feel kinda like I've got gazing balls on my finger tips. *stares at them* Just, wow. This mani is screaming for a pool to be dipped in and lounge beside. It yearns to flutter into a cellophane bag from the snack bar and select the perfect salty crispy chip. It dreams of threading brightly through the blue like ten little koi fishes. Thinking about how it would look on your little suntanned wiggly mitts makes me want to jump in the vehicle and fly on up there to do your nails, sis boom bah!You never know, it could happen!love,Aunt Liz

I have two polishes to show you in this post. The first is by indie polish maker Girly Bits and it's called January Morning. The second is Dirty Sexy Money by Misa. I'm going to show each by itself and then together in a layering combo.Girly Bits is a Canadian indie polish maker founded and run by a woman named Pam Heil. I have three of her polishes in my collection and January Morning is the first to be featured on the blog. It's a sheer white polish with iridescent shimmers that sparkle blue and white and pale pale pink. It can be used on its own and is also intended to be used as a topper for other polishes. I have to say that it simply excels in that role and as far as my tastes are concerned completely blows away the other pearly toppers that I own.Pam created January Morning in tribute to her father, and you can read her account of that here. It is a touching and beautiful story. The polish is a remembrance of the snow that fell the morning after her father died, and it is very very much like a powdering of sparkly crystalline white snowflakes on the nail. Altogether lovely. The photos show three coats of January Morning over Seche Vite Rebuild treatment basecoat with a layer of Seche Vite on top. They were taken at night under incandescent light without flash, so some of them are slightly blurry. My apologies. Despite the blurriness, I think they are accurate representations of this polish.

Girly Bits January Morning, bottle shot

Girly Bits January Morning

Girly Bits January Morning showing some sparkle

Girly Bits January Morning

This is a beautifully formulated polish. It applies evenly from a light-to-medium loaded brush and is self-leveling. My nail ridges being as mountainous as they are do manage to show but I don't fault the polish for that. Now for Misa Dirty Sexy Money. This creme has a devoted following among nail polish enthusiasts and now I know why. The color is FABULOUS, a well-pigmented dusky medium blue green with grey undertones. The formula is also wonderful, applying smoothly and evenly, self-leveling and drying to a gorgeous glossy finish. Plus, Dirty Sexy Money is a one coater for all practical purposes and who doesn't love a one coater? Nobody, that's who.

I used two coats of Dirty Sexy Money over basecoat and NO topcoat for the photos, which I took under incandescent tungsten and halogen lighting (upstairs bath and down in the kitchen). So there's a slightly blurry photo here and there, but again I chose to include these photos because of how true they are to the color and feel of the polish.

While you are admiring the color please be sure to note the fantastic glossiness of the finish. It's a rare day (or night, in this case) when I photograph a manicure without topcoat!

Misa Dirty Sexy Money, bottle shot

Misa Dirty Sexy Money, on my thumb and in the bottle

Misa Dirty Sexy Money

Misa Dirty Sexy Money

Misa Dirty Sexy Money

Misa Dirty Sexy Money

Misa Dirty Sexy Money

Misa Dirty Sexy Money

Eleanor, I think you'd LOVE Dirty Sexy Money! It has just the right weight to it, you know what I mean? Not so heavy that you feel like you're wearing a dark polish but weighty and bold enough to show off your nails and, when you catch it out of the corner of your, to remind yourself of how chic you are. The color reminds me a bit of verdigris, the patina that copper gets when it's exposed to air over time. Like the Statue of Liberty. Very cool.Cooler still, layer January Morning over Dirty Sexy Money, ha! I'd tried this on a swatch wheel and loved the result so I had to do a full manicure of it, NATCH. January Morning is more sparkly in the photos I took in the kitchen than in the bathroom pics, I think because of the nature of halogen lighting. The sparkles are just like sparkles you see on snow when the sun hits it. It is so sparkly it almost reminds me of one of my other favorite toppers, Shine on Crazy Diamond by Orly. But January Morning has the sheer white thing going on, which is perfect for ever so slightly softening the boldness of Dirty Sexy Money.

Girly Bits January Morning over Misa Dirty Sexy Money

Girly Bits January Morning over Misa Dirty Sexy Money

Girly Bits January Morning over Misa Dirty Sexy Money

Girly Bits January Morning over Misa Dirty Sexy Money

EXTREME CLOSE UP WHOA

Girly Bits January Morning over Misa Dirty Sexy Money

Girly Bits January Morning over Misa Dirty Sexy Money

I love January Morning as a topper! I have two other polishes that are sheer white based toppers, Essie Pure Pearlfection and China Glaze White Cap, but both of them have shimmer that leans strongly gold, which slightly alters the look of the color that they are layered over. January Morning, on the other hand, does not alter the color underneath. Just like a dusting of snow, it whitens it just a tad and gives it a sprinkling of subtle sparkle.For comparison's sake, I've got a little series of Dirty Sexy Money photos before January Morning and after January Morning, with my hands positioned similarly in both shots. I didn't plan things this way, but as I was choosing pics to add to my text I noticed there were these perfect pairs of before and after photos that would do a good job of showing the effect of January Morning as a topper. So I saved them for last.

before: Dirty Sexy Money solo

after: Dirty Sexy Money with January Morning topper

before: Dirty Sexy Money solo

after: Dirty Sexy Money with January Morning topper

before: Dirty Sexy Money solo

after: Dirty Sexy Money with January Morning topper

before: Dirty Sexy Money solo

after: Dirty Sexy Money with January Morning topper

What do you think, do you like Dirty Sexy Money alone better than the combo or vice versa? I love them both! I think whether I wore one or the other would depend on the look I was going for. Dirty Sexy Money alone is a bolder stronger look. It is sleek and slightly edgy. With January Morning, it becomes a bit more intimate and subtle and I think the bit of whitening it does plays really well with the grey undertones of Dirty Sexy Money.

I am loving both of these polishes very much.

I coulda used this guy's help tonight!

How much do you think I'd have to pay John to take pics of my manicures? *lol* As if! Take it from me, my dear, no one will take better pictures of your manicure than you yourself will. *grin* Except maybe ME!